Postmark a Valentine's Card from Valentine, Texas

The little town of Valentine, Texas has only about 187 residents. It's one of only two towns in Jeff Davis County. Nonetheless, come January and February of every year, Valentine is feeling the love.

Cards pour into Valentine from around the world as lovers seek to obtain a coveted "Valentine, Texas" postmark. The town's adobe-style post office, which usually sees about 100 cards and letters on a typical day, hand stamps 1,000 to 2,000 cards a day in the weeks before Valentine's Day. The record was in 1994 when over 39,000 cards from around the world came in to receive the Valentine's postmark.

To make it even more special, each year this post office, nicknamed "the Love Station of Texas," uses a different cancellation stamp. The stamp is selected from artwork submitted by Valentine students in grades 7 through 12.

To get your Valentine's card stamped from Valentine, Texas, here's what you do:

1. Buy a Valentine's Day card and address it to your sweetie just as you would if you were mailing it yourself.

2. Place the appropriate amount of postage on that Valentine's Day card.

3. Get a slightly larger envelope and place the addressed, stamped Valentine's card inside that larger envelope. Seal the envelope.

4. Address that larger envelope to:

Postmaster
Valentine Re-mailing
Valentine, TX 79854

5. Stamp the larger envelope and mail it.

Starting two weeks before Valentine's Day, the post office will open the outer envelope and hand stamp the inner envelope, shipping it and your Valentine's wishes...along with that very special Valentine, Texas postmark...off to your loved one.

It's a special way to put a little extra thought into your Valentine's Day card and to give a little attention to this small town located about 150 miles southeast of El Paso. And, when your Valentine asks, just how did Valentine, Texas get its name? Why the railroad first came through here on Valentine's Day, 1882, of course.

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